Live USB boot not working with Windows 11 / UEFI

[Debian-Beginner]

Hi,

I bought a new HP laptop with Windows 11 preinstalled, and I'm trying to install Debian as a dual boot. I have installed Debian on older machines in the past, but never succeeded to install it on a UEFI system.

I'm trying to boot the new Windows 11 laptop with the same Debian Live USB I used about 2 months ago to install Debian on an old BIOS laptop. (I had created the Live USB from an ISO image using cp, as in the Debian user guide). However, on the new laptop, every time I boot up, it just boots into Windows as if the USB were not bootable. I've tried putting USB first in the boot order, disabling Secure Boot and Fast Startup, and turning off Bit Locker. However, the result is the same every time.

Any help diagnosing the problem would be appreciated.

[yesh]

Hello, I suggest to check that "Fast startup" is disabled in Windows 11, AND in BIOS (if there is such a setting). Fully check all BIOS settings. Then try boot USB again.

You could also try hitting 'F9' on boot, then select USB as device to boot.

[Debian-Beginner]

Thanks very much for your response. I disabled Fast Startup in Windows Control Panel, and I didn't see it in BIOS, but I'll check again.

As for selecting USB as the device to boot, I tried multiple times to hold Shift while selecting Restart from Windows so as to boot into Advanced Options mode, then selecting "Use a device" for boot. I also tried F9 and was given a chance to select a file on the USB. I tried "efi/boot/bootia32.efi" or "grubia32.efi". However, after this, Windows just continues to boot as usual.

Since I'm at least able to access Advanced Options during the restart and/or access UEFI settings by pressing F10 during a boot, my suspicion was that Fast Startup wasn't the problem. My understanding was that a Fast Startup problem would prevent access to UEFI settings.

Also, I tried a different Live USB (which I'd set up with UNetbootin) with an indicator light, and could see it lit up a few times during the boot, so I do believe the USB is being read.

[pbear]

Check whether the firmware has a fast boot setting. That's different from Fast Startup. The fast boot setting skips some tests during startup and, as a side effect, can prevent boot from USB ports (cite).

[Debian-Beginner]

I don't see anything that's obviously a Fast Boot option in the UEFI firmware menus.

Would installing Debian from the hard drive be a recommended option? Since my last post, I had an "adventure" trying to boot with Grub2Win But at least I was able to see the Grub boot menu, although I still couldn't boot from the USB. So I'm wondering whether the hard drive Debian boot, or the combination of hard drive boot + Grub2Win, might actually work?

Thanks again.

[Augie77]

Hi,

I bought a new HP laptop with Windows 11 preinstalled, and I'm trying to install Debian as a dual boot. I have installed Debian on older machines in the past, but never succeeded to install it on a UEFI system.

I'm trying to boot the new Windows 11 laptop with the same Debian Live USB I used about 2 months ago to install Debian on an old BIOS laptop. (I had created the Live USB from an ISO image using cp, as in the Debian user guide). However, on the new laptop, every time I boot up, it just boots into Windows as if the USB were not bootable. I've tried putting USB first in the boot order, disabling Secure Boot and Fast Startup, and turning off Bit Locker. However, the result is the same every time.

Any help diagnosing the problem would be appreciated.

What worked two months ago on a USB may not work today. I would download another copy and reburn the .iso with Rufus (I seldom get a good burn from Balena Etcher). You did an F10 to BIOS and select something like Enable Boot Storage in maybe the Advanced section, then reboot and F9 to select the USB as boot device? Is UEFI mode set or Legacy BIOS, probably should be UEFI.

If you are uncertain about the UEFI/Legacy then look at this link, it shows several ways to check to see what your laptop came with. I suspect it would be UEFI though.

UEFI or Legacy

[pbear]

I don't see anything that's obviously a Fast Boot option in the UEFI firmware menus.

FWIW, I'm on an HP that came with Win11, albeit an All-in-One not a laptop. Do you know which firmware yours has? (Mine is AMI, F.34.) If not, msinfo32 (run within Windows) should tell you.

As a lateral test, create a USB recovery drive within Windows (option on Control Panel), something you should have anyway. Confirm whether that boots.

[Debian-Beginner]

Hi,

Thanks very much again for the replies. The suggestion to use a Rufus Live USB has partially worked , although I still haven't finished installing Debian yet.

First, to answer your questions, the new laptop definitely has UEFI as the BIOS mode. According to msinfo32, the BIOS version is AMI F.20, dated 3/14/2022.

I created a new Live USB with Rufus based on the Debian 12.5.0 ISO using GPT partition scheme for UEFI target and FAT32 file system. I rebooted using Shift + Restart to enter Advanced Settings, but to my surprise the Live USB showed up immediately, even before I saw the Advanced Settings Screen.

The Live USB doesn't seem to have an option to run Debian off the USB. So I tried the installation, and so far I was able to get as far as the disk partitioning step. The new laptop has a 1 TB SSD and shows 845 GB free from Windows. However, I tried to choose "Guided - use the largest continuous free space", and I got a message that partitioning failed, "probably ... because the selected disk or free space is too small to be automatically partitioned." I tried manual partitioning, and it showed 999 GB as a single partition, and only a few MB of "free space." I couldn't find an obvious way to subdivide the 999 GB partition. In fact when I click on it, the info message on top says "No existing file system was detected in this partition."

Secure boot, fast restart, and Bitlocker are currently on. If I turn Bitlocker back off, would this fix my partitioning problem? Also, would it be dangerous to continue the installation process without disabling Secure boot? Or is the fact that the Live USB worked sufficient to assume GRUB can handle the current UEFI settings?

[pbear]

I strongly encourage you to use a live ISO, rather than the standard installer (which is what it sounds like you actually have). The live ISOs use a different installer, called Calamares, which has a true GUI partitioning option which is much easier to use than the semi-graphical tools in the standard installer. Or you can install GParted and use that. If you go the live ISO route, do not enable autologin during installation. A bug will mess up your group ID assignments (if you don't know what that means, just take my word for it.) If you want autologin, it's easily enabled post-installation without triggering the bug.

[Debian-Beginner]

Hi,

So far, I'm trying to go the GParted route. I currently have 930.7 GB in one big partition. GParted recognizes this partition is encrypted with Bitlocker, but it doesn't seem to be able to create a new partition in this space. Should I remove the Bitlocker encryption and try GParted again? Or maybe try to create the partition in Windows first and then use GParted to set it up?

If I can get GParted to partition the drive correctly, would I then switch back to the Debian Live USB and continue the installation from there?

[pbear]

I've no experience with BitLocker. My understanding from reading a few forum threads is that one can install Linux to such a system, but BitLocker has to be disabled temporarily. An internet search should turn up a few good tutorials. You also should check the Debian wiki. Have to point out, only do any of that if you have current data file backups, but I'm guessing you do. And, no, I don't recommend using the standard installer. Not a question of whether it works - of course it does - but it's non-intuitive and you have to babysit the installation to answer questions. Besides, you want a true live ISO so you can boot it in future for system repair (knock wood).

[Augie77]

I did a Cinnamon live .iso today as a dual boot with XFCE and used the included Calamares installer and it was a piece of cake. As for the autologin, you will get and option to check the autologin box during the process of creating user and system names. I would avoid gparted unless you are really familiar with it; as for Bitlocker I don't know other than it should be disabled for the Linux install.

On the Calamares installer, you will be offered 4 options for the partition, as you select one you will see the graphic change, it is quite intuitive. Just be sure to not select options that will delete the entire disk.

[Debian-Beginner]

Hi,

Thanks again for your help. I turned off Bitlocker and more carefully partitioned the drive, and set up a root filesystem on the new partition. (I think my main mistake previously was not setting the mount point on that partition to "/"). I was able to install Debian, and boot into it... once.

After installing Debian, when I rebooted, I saw a boot screen from GRUB, with Debian as the default choice. When I rebooted, I again saw the boot screen, but this time chose the Windows boot loader in order to check that Windows still works correctly.

However, after booting into Windows once, I stopped seeing the GRUB screen, and could only boot into Windows. I tried restarting, shutting down, etc. Bitlocker, Secure Boot, and Fast Boot are all currently off (although I haven't found any UEFI settings for Fast Boot, and only turned it off through Windows). Even booting with Advanced Options didn't help, because I see an option to boot from a device, but not from a different boot loader on the hard drive.

[pbear]

As for the autologin, you will get and option to check the autologin box during the process of creating user and system names.

Be aware, there's a bug in the Calamares installer. If one selects autologin, an autologin group is created and assigned gid=1000, which should be the primary user's gid. Instead, primary user is bumped to uid 1000 but gid 1001. This, in turn, makes all file permissions non-standard, particularly noticeable if the files are moved or copied to a system where primary user has the usual gid. I found this sufficiently annoying that I reinstalled.

Besides, it's easy to enable autologin post-installation.

[Debian-Beginner]

I did some searching online. Apparently, I'm not the only person to have this problem of Windows boot loader disabling Grub:
https://askubuntu.com/questions/235567/ ... ot-manager

The solution
bcdedit /set {bootmgr} path \EFI\debian\grubx64.efi
posted here
https://unix.stackexchange.com/question ... ching-grub
worked for me. Dual boot, which seemed impossible a few days, ago works now!

[Augie77]

As for the autologin, you will get and option to check the autologin box during the process of creating user and system names.

Be aware, there's a bug in the Calamares installer. If one selects autologin, an autologin group is created and assigned gid=1000, which should be the primary user's gid. Instead, primary user is bumped to uid 1000 but gid 1001. This, in turn, makes all file permissions non-standard, particularly noticeable if the files are moved or copied to a system where primary user has the usual gid. I found this sufficiently annoying that I reinstalled.

Besides, it's easy to enable autologin post-installation.

Ah! Well, that explains what has been going on with my Cinnamon install; I have been wondering and thinking it were the nuances of Cinnamon and has annoyed me enough that I was planning on completely removing Cinnamon and replacing it with Mate. I have previously used your linked primer to help me figure out a way to prefill my uerID, thank you for that. I will do as you, and reinstall, much cleaner and quicker that way.

[pbear]

It's a damn stupid bug. Tried to report, but they make it so difficult I gave up. This is specifically a Calamares issue, by the way, not Debian or the Live Team. Manjaro does the same thing.